The Fall in the Dream
by FictionWriter91
Summary: AU. After solving a case, Booth convinces Brennan to perform on stage, but the night ends in tragedy. Then, Brennan wakes up. Convinced it was a dream, she relives the same day until it happens again. After realizing what's happening, Brennan starts trying to figure out how to move on. She eventually discovers that it comes down to whether or not she's willing to open her heart.
1. The Beginning

_When darkness turns to light, it ends tonight..._

 **The Beginning**

Temperance Brennan awoke on May 13, 2008 feeling as though sleep hadn't even occurred. She sat there for a moment, taking in her bedroom surroundings. The sun was just starting to come up. Her alarm began to sound, and she sighed. Turning it off, she looked at the time: 6:30. It was another day. She slid out of bed and padded to the kitchen to start her coffee maker. She pulled out some bread and threw it in the toaster. There was some leftover yogurt from yesterday morning in the fridge. As she was changing, figuring out what she wanted to wear that day, her phone rang.

"Brennan," she said, already knowing that it was Booth.

"Meet me at the diner for breakfast," he said. "I wanna go over stuff about the case."

"So demanding," she said, a slight teasing in her tone. "What if I said no?"

"You wouldn't. I know you," he said, a smile in his voice. "See you around 8?"

"All right."

She hung up, finally deciding on an outfit. She went back to her toast and ate it slowly while sipping her coffee. She would save the yogurt for later. Once she was finished, she got ready for her run. Sometimes when she worked a case, she didn't have time for a workout, but today she was making an exception. It helped her stay focused.

...

Booth grinned when he saw her. She was feeling exerted from her workout, and the food was a welcome sight. How he always knew what she wanted, she would never know.

"Good run?"

"How did you...?"

"You have that post run glow," he answered, waving his hand. "So, I've been doing some thinking about this case."

"Uh huh," she said, sitting down beside him as he slid the plate over to her. Her stomach growled.

"I just can't get over the whole open mic night thing. I mean, I get it when you're in college you think you're going places, but these guys are over their 30s...do they really think they're gonna reach fame?"

"Perhaps it's just the need to stand out in a crowd," Brennan said.

"I just feel it's a bit obnoxious."

"You were the best sniper when you were with the Rangers," Brennan pointed out.

"That's different," he said, furrowing his brow. "That was a job, and I did it well."

"And it set you out from the others."

"Bones, this is singing we're talking about here, not being in the army."

"It doesn't matter. The superior mate is the person who has the power and status."

"I seriously doubt any of those guys are gonna be mating," Booth said, a smirk at his lips. She gave him a look.

"They still have prestige and power. You're a very good agent, Booth, and you enjoy it."

"Yea?"

"Yes, and it would be devastating to work with someone beneath me since I am the best in my field," Brennan finished.

"You know, sometimes I think you think you're better than me," Booth said, looking hurt.

"Well, I am more intelligent..."

"Here we go," Booth said, exasperated. Brennan placed her hand on his arm then, making him look back at her.

"Not in all areas," she said. "I know my limits. I...I admire your expertise in areas that I am not well versed in."

"You admire me?" he asked, a shine hitting his eyes then. Brennan released his arm and went back to her food.

"In certain areas of expertise," she said again. His phone ringing cut him off from continuing, and he answered. Brennan tuned out his conversation, thinking about her relationship with Booth. She remembered their conversation of how they were the center, and sometimes she had this feeling that deep down Booth was waiting for something more from her than she could offer him.

"I have to go to the office," Booth said, disgruntled.  
"How come?"

"Pam Nunan wants to talk to me."

"I'll come with you..."

"No, she wants just me."

"What? Why?"

"It would appear that she doesn't like you, Bones," Booth said, sliding off his chair and tugging his coat on.

"I'll see you later then," she said. "Thanks for breakfast."

"No worries," Booth said, tossing down some bills. She watched him leave, admiring the strong of his back and his shoulders.

...

Brennan got to the Jeffersonian just before 9:30, and she got an update from Zack and Hodgins before heading to her office.

"Good morning," Cam said, passing her in the hallway.

"Good morning, Dr. Saroyan," Brennan nodded. She slipped into her office and shut the door. She sat at her desk to look through Zack's notes for a while until Sweets entered.

"Hey," he said. "You gotta see this."

"See what?" she asked as he came in further, leaving the door open. Somehow, this irritated her a little.

"I found Tommy's MySpace," Sweets said. "He's uploaded himself singing on it."

"It wasn't good enough to be on stage he had to let the world see it online too?" Brennan asked.

"It's worth watching," Sweets said, moving to take over her computer. Brennan was now annoyed. She felt that Sweets was a little like Booth sometimes. He just took over and did what he wanted without reading the room.

"There," Sweets said, and Tommy's video popped up. He wasn't all that bad, Brennan mused.

"What are you guys doing?" Booth asked, coming in then.

"Dr. Sweets found Tommy's video on his internet account," Brennan answered. Booth winced after listening for a bit.

"He's trying too hard," Booth said.

"There are two types, presentational and representational," Sweets said. "One is ego driven whereas the other is to gain a cathartic response from the crowd."

"Is there a fancy word for just showing off?" Booth asked. "Cos that's what he's doing."

"Tommy is definitely in the presentational category," Sweets agreed.

"So, this is all just simple psychology to you?" Brennan asked. Sweets began to argue with her, and after a moment of their back and forth, Booth pulled Sweets chair and all away from Brennan and set a chair down for himself to sit in between them both.

"I'm breaking this up before you give me a headache," Booth said. "Keep fighting and nobody gets dessert."

"It's not fighting," Sweets argued. "It's a mere collegial debate."

"Right," Brennan agreed, just going with it. She decided to change the subject. "How was Pam?" She knew it would get Sweets all riled up.

"You...you saw her again?" Sweets asked, right on cue. Booth shot Brennan a glare.

"No big deal. She gave me a pair of socks," he said. Brennan laughed at this until both Sweets and Booth stared at her.

"What?" she asked.

"It's not funny," Sweets answered.

"No, it's not," Booth chimed in.

Sweets starting going into Booth about Pam's manipulation tactics when Brennan spied something on Tommy's page.

"Hey, look," she said, nudging Booth. "Tommy was going to release a CD."

"'I Can't Do Better Than You?'" Booth read.

"I bet Pam thought it was about her," Sweets said immediately.

"You know, up until I was thirteen, I wanted to be the next Cindi Lauper," Brennan mused.

"Seriously?" Sweets asked.

"I'd say she's kidding with us, but she doesn't do that," Booth pointed out. Brennan bristled inside a little. She could too kid.

"My mother said I was just as good as Cindi," Brennan bragged, not knowing what else to say.

"Mothers say that," Sweets dismissed.

"Not mine," Brennan argued.

"So belt it out then," Booth egged her on. "Go on!"

"No! I don't just burst into song, Booth. I need music and the right atmosphere."

"Hey, hey!" Sweets said, interrupting them. "Look at that guy's face when Tommy sings to that woman. He looks pissed."

"He also plays the guitar," Brennan said, her mind whirling. "That's how Tommy died."

...

After using Hodgins and Zack to demonstrate her theory of how Tommy died, Brennan stood behind the glass in the FBI watching Booth interrogate their potential murderer. She always admired the way he did this part. She wished she had that ability, but then again, that was Booth's expertise. She wouldn't want him trompsing all over her territory and doing better than her. Not that he would. She caught the man saying something about a Dr. Jason. She met Booth's eyes through the window, knowing he knew she was looking at him.

"Yea," Booth was saying back. "We've met."

...

Brennan found Hodgins in his part of the lab.

"I need your results of the particulates you found in the C5 vertebra swab," she said. "Booth doesn't think the guitar player did it. There's no motive."

"I'm analyzing them now," Hodgins promised.

"Let me know as soon as you have them."

"I will."

...

They were in the middle of interrogating Dr. Jason when Hodgins burst in.

"Hey, whoa! Excuse me," Booth said, angry. "You can't just..."

"There was elemental evidence on the vertebra!" Hodgins burst out.

"Such as?"

"Phyllosilicate minerals and aluminum oxides."

"Um, English?!" Booth said, annoyed.

"Clay," Dr. Jason said, sighing.

"Nice!" Hodgins commended him.

"I have nothing to do with clay," Dr. Jason went on.

"I know," Hodgins said. "You'll get cleared."

"Hey!" Booth exclaimed.

"Dr. B, there was a case of this particular clay delivered to the other unit of our victim's duplex recently," Hodgins finished.

...

"The mad artist did it," Booth whistled. They were leaving the duplex where they had confronted Tommy's neighbor. Brennan watched him be loaded into the police van.

"I guess you weren't the only one who didn't like his singing," Brennan noted.

"So, what do you have going on tonight?" Booth asked.

"Just going to be at home, why?"

"No reason," he said slyly.

"What are you up to?" she asked, sensing his ploy.

"I'll call you later," he winked, heading off to meet the police officer. Brennan shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. Her partner was definitely up to something.

...

"Why are we here?" Brennan asked, taking in the crowd. She found Cam, Hodgins, Angela, Zack, and Sweets all sitting at a table.

"It's time for you to sing," Booth said into her ear. "See? Music's all ready for ya."

"Wha-no," Brennan started, but the beat was intoxicating. She saw Booth's excited face, and she couldn't say no. She grabbed the microphone and jumped up to the stage. Her friends were all whooping and shouting at her. No one saw the woman slink in, watching the scene. No one saw the gun in her hand. No one noticed until she was screaming Booth's name.

"I'm doing this for us," Pam said softly. She pulled the trigger. The time was 9:43 p.m.

* * *

 **So I read this book (and watched the movie, but of course the book was better) called Before I Fall, and I was moved, annoyed, brought to tears, and somehow satisfied with it all at once. The theme of the book has rolled around my brain for over a year now, and I wanted to write a story using the same concept, but I've been afraid to. I know readers don't like a death of a main character, and I'm not even sure how I will end this story yet. I don't want to give anything away, if they survive or not, because I like leaving a sense of mystery to my stories, but I also don't like to cause anxiety and remarks of how sad it is on every chapter. I really want readers to look beyond the death and see what I'm doing plot wise. Anyway, I'll stop rambling. The only thing I ask is please don't flame me...I am a real person behind this anonymous username.**

 **P.S. The music that inspired this chapter and all the others is the original score for Before I Fall by Adam Taylor.**

 **P.S.S. I am also aware of the film Groundhog's Day. I prefer Before I Fall style themes for this story.**


	2. Day One

**Guest: Your review really made my day. I really hope that you continue to enjoy my stories. I love to write so much, and I really do love the characters and try to do them justice. If you have an account, please PM me as I would love to help you upload your story.**

 **kareneb: It is not the episode where Booth fakes his death. This is something different.**

 **doge: It ends well I think.**

 **Thank you for reviewing! Expect quick updates because this story is pretty much written. I'm just editing and making necessary changes.  
**

* * *

 _Is this just a dream...?_

 **Day 1**

Brennan sat up, gasping and clutching at her chest. Breathing hard, her eyes slowly began to focus. She saw her room and her bed. Her heart was racing. She clutched at her hair, pulling it back tightly before releasing it.

"Just a dream," she whispered. She chuckled then. "Just a stupid dream." Her alarm began to go off, and she looked at her phone.

6:30 a.m.

May 13, 2008.

"Wait," Brennan said. That couldn't be right. May 13th was yesterday. She clicked her phone off and back on. Still the same date. She frowned, but then realized that if the whole thing had been a dream, then of course she hadn't lived May 13th yet. How silly of her. She got out of bed and went to make coffee. Then, she went to find her clothes for the day.

And then, her phone rang.

Brennan paused, looking down at it. Booth. She felt a little deja vu then, as though she'd done this before.

"Yea?" she said, answering it.

"Meet me at the diner for breakfast," he said. "I wanna go over stuff about the case."

"O-okay."

"See you at 8?"

"Yea."

Brennan stared at her phone once he'd hung up, her hand shaking. This was how her dream had started.

...

She entered the Royal Diner cautiously, looking out for clues to something she didn't even know she was looking for.

Booth grinned when he saw her. She noticed that he had a plate of food ready for her. Her stomach clenched at this.

"Good run?"

"How did you...?"

"You have that post run glow," he answered, waving his hand. "So, I've been doing some thinking about this case."

"Uh huh," she said, sitting down beside him as he slid the plate over to her. Her stomach growled, but her mind was racing around in circles. This was too weird, way to weird.

"I just can't get over the whole open mic night thing. I mean, I get it when you're in college you think you're going places, but these guys are over their 30s...do they really think they're gonna reach fame?"

Brennan stared at him for a moment. It was exactly what he had said in her dream. What was happening?

"Perhaps it's just the need to stand out in a crowd," Brennan said hesitantly, echoing what her dream self had said.

"I just feel it's a bit obnoxious," Booth said on cue. She swallowed. Something was definitely not right here.

"You were the best sniper when you were with the Rangers," Brennan told him, giving him one last test to see how he responded.

"That's different," he said, furrowing his brow. "That was a job, and I did it well."

"Right," she nodded. He was looking at her now.

"Are you okay? You look nauseous," he said, tilting his head at her.

"I'm just not hungry," she said.

"All right then," he shrugged, snagging one of her hashbrowns for himself. "Anyway, Bones, this is singing we're talking about here, not being in the army."

Brennan felt an odd sense that it didn't matter how she responded. Booth was going to have the same conversation from their dream no matter what.

"The superior mate is the person who has the power and status," she offered.

"I seriously doubt any of those guys are gonna be mating," Booth said, a smirk at his lips. The diner was starting to spin slightly.

"Yea," she said absently. He looked at her concerned now.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"I...I'm not sure..."

His phone rang then.

"Hold that thought," he said. "Booth."

Brennan had a pretty good idea who was on the other end of that conversation.

"I have to go to the office," Booth said, disgruntled.  
"How come?" she asked, playing along with whatever the universe was doing to her.

"Pam Nunan wants to talk to me."

"Alone?"

"Yea, how did you know?" he asked, surprised.

"Lucky guess," she murmured.

"It would appear that she doesn't like you, Bones," Booth said, sliding off his chair and tugging his coat on.

"I get that feeling too," she said quietly.

"See you later," Booth said, tossing down some bills. She watched him leave, starting to think that whatever this was, it wasn't just a dream.

...

Brennan arrived at work just before 9:30, and she got an update from Zack and Hodgins before heading to her office. Brennan stared at both of them, somehow knowing what they were already going to tell her. Some of it felt new, though, so Brennan realized she wasn't remembering her entire dream down to all of the details.

"Good morning," Cam said, passing her in the hallway. Lost in thought, she almost missed it.

"Good morning, Dr. Saroyan," Brennan nodded at the last minute. She reached her office and shut the door. She sat down shakily at her desk, finding Zack's notes sitting there waiting to be reviewed. She already knew what the first sentence was. How was this possible? Dreams are dreams. You didn't live a dream after you had it. Unless, this wasn't a dream, but then what the hell was it?

"Hey," Sweets said, bursting into her office. "You gotta see this."

"See what?" she asked as he came in further, leaving the door open. The familiar feeling of irritation sank in, and she knew this had also happened in her dream. She was still calling it a dream because logically, it was the only thing that made her head not hurt.

"I found Tommy's MySpace," Sweets said. "He's uploaded himself singing on it."

"He posted it online too?" Brennan asked.

"It's worth watching," Sweets said, moving to take over her computer. Brennan was now very sure this had happened in her dream, and any moment now, Booth was going to come in.

"There," Sweets said, and Tommy's video popped up. The same video from her dream popped up. She debated asking Sweets about this phenomenon when Booth entered, just as she had predicted.

"What are you guys doing?" Booth asked, hovering behind them.

"Dr. Sweets found Tommy's video on his internet account," Brennan answered. Booth winced after listening for a bit.

"He's trying too hard," Booth said.

"There are two types, presentational and representational," Sweets said. "One is ego driven whereas the other is to gain a cathartic response from the crowd."

"Is there a fancy word for just showing off?" Booth asked. "Cos that's what he's doing."

"Tommy is definitely in the presentational category," Sweets agreed.

Brennan stared at both of them. They were saying the exact same things they'd said to each other before. It was very unnerving.

"This is just psychology to you," Brennan commented, testing to see if her next prediction would come true. It did. Sweets began to argue with her, and after a moment of their back and forth, Booth pulled Sweets chair and all away from Brennan and set a chair down for himself to sit in between them both.

"I'm breaking this up before you give me a headache," Booth said. "Keep fighting and nobody gets dessert."

"It's not fighting," Sweets argued. "It's a mere collegial debate."

"Right," Brennan agreed, trying to hide the shock on her face. It had been exactly the same. She decided to change the subject. "How was Pam?"

"You...you saw her again?" Sweets asked. Booth shot Brennan a glare.

"No big deal. She gave me a pair of socks," he said.

"That's not good," Sweets answered. Sweets starting going into Booth about Pam's manipulation tactics, and Brennan spied something on Tommy's page despite feeling like she was stuck in a time warp. Her finding felt familiar and yet it didn't.

"Hey, look," she said, nudging Booth. "Tommy was going to release a CD."

"'I Can't Do Better Than You?'" Booth read.

"I bet Pam thought it was about her," Sweets said immediately.

"Until I was thirteen, I wanted to be the next Cindi Lauper," Brennan said, remembering she'd said this last time.

"Seriously?" Sweets asked.

"I'd say she's kidding with us, but she doesn't do that," Booth pointed out.

"My mother said I was just as good as Cindi," Brennan added because it was what she had said last time. She didn't want to alter too much. If this was a dream again, she'd need to know exactly what was said for sure to tell Booth and Sweets when she woke up.

"Mothers say that," Sweets dismissed.

"Not mine," Brennan argued.

"So belt it out then," Booth egged her on. "Go on!"

"I need music and the right atmosphere, Booth."

"Hey, hey!" Sweets said, interrupting them. "Look at that guy's face when Tommy sings to that woman. He looks pissed."

"He also plays the guitar," Brennan said automatically. "That's how Tommy died." But a part of her deep down knew that that statement wasn't true at all.

...

Brennan watched as Hodgins and Zack reenacted the death of Tommy, and she felt like she was going to throw up. Angela noticed.

"Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Yea, I'm fine," Brennan lied. She wasn't fine. She felt terrible. A piece of her wanted to go home, crawl into bed, and force herself to wake up from what was now obviously a repeating dream.

"Okay," Booth said, clapping his hands. "We know who to talk to. Let's go, Bones."

"I...I'd rather stay here," Brennan said. Booth halted in his tracks.

"What?" he asked, incredulous. "No way. You love this part."

"She doesn't look well, Booth," Angela cut in. "She'll meet up with you later."

"You okay, Bones?" Booth asked. Brennan looked at him a moment before responding.

"I will be," she answered. At least, that's what she hoped for.

...

Booth phoned her after his interrogation.

"Hey, so I found it that..."

"It's Dr. Jason you're looking for?" Brennan cut him off. There was a long pause on the phone from Booth.

"Um, yea. How did you know that? It's like you've done this case before," he laughed nervously.

 _I have,_ Brennan thought.

"Another lucky guess. You're on your way there now?"

"No. I've put out for his arrest. They'll bring him to me."

"Okay."

"You sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine, Booth," she said. "I'll talk to you later." She hung up the phone, unsure of what to think. She sat at her desk for a while until Hodgins found her.

"Hey," he said. "So, I got the results back from the particulates of the C5 vertebra. There was elemental evidence on it. Phyllosilicate minerals and aluminum oxides."

"Clay," Brennan nodded. Of course. Just like the dream.

"That's not all," Hodgins said, beaming. "There was a shipment of the same clay delivered to the victim's neighbor at the duplex recently."

"I'll tell Booth," she said. He left, strutting and calling out "King of the lab!" for all to hear. Brennan picked up the phone and dialed Booth.

"I'm in the middle of an interrogation, Bones," Booth hissed. "What?"

"It's not him. It's the neighbor. Hodgins found evidence in the particulates."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. It's the artist."

...

Brennan didn't go to see the neighbor get arrested. She didn't want to be around anyone right now. If her dream was right, then a dark twist was coming her way. She looked at the clock. Seven at night. Booth called her as they loaded the murderer into the van.

"What are you doing tonight?" he asked. Brennan shivered.

"Nothing."

"Why don't you meet me somewhere? I'll send you details later."

"I...I don't feel up to it."

"Aw come on, Bones. It'll be fun! Please," he begged.

"Okay. Send me the details," she caved. She had difficulty saying no to him sometimes. She wasn't sure what that was all about.

...

She arrived at the open mic night place, and she felt all the hairs on her body stand up. She looked around anxiously, but she couldn't see anyone with a gun. Her watch said 9:41, and she felt scared.

"Come on, Bones," Booth urged. "Sing your song. Come on!"

She spun around, still searching. No one was there. She felt herself relax a little. Perhaps she was losing her mind after all. It had only been a dream. A very strange, similar dream to the events of that day, but it hadn't been real. She got up on the stage and started singing. Forcing herself to relax more, she got into the song. That's when she heard it.

"I'm doing this for us."

Then it all went black.


	3. Day Two

**GalaxieGurl: Before I Fall is more than just about being a mean girl who changes their ways. That reader's review you mentioned is, to me, an unhelpful interpretation of the book because there was so much more to it than that. When Samantha dies and starts reliving the same day, she starts to realize what is important and meaningful to her, not to mention a few other things that I won't elaborate on because it will ruin my story lol. Well, I'll give one hint: there is a boy in that book who has secretly loved Samantha for a long time. That's more of what I'm imitating here, not the fact that Samantha realizes she was a bit self-centered and changes her ways. I hope that helps.**

 **Doge: This one might leave you on the edge of your seat as well ;)**

* * *

 _And you can't tell...I'm scared as hell..._

 **Day 3**

Brennan's eyes snapped open and she sat up in bed like she'd been shot, which by now, she'd figured out that was what had happened to her. She scrabbled for her phone on the nightstand just as her alarm went off.

"May 13, 2008," she read. She lowered the phone, feeling a very sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm living this day over and over again," she said out loud, the panic finally setting in. She sat there in her bed wondering what the hell to do and who to tell when her phone rang. Booth. Right on time.

"Hi," she said.

"Hey," he replied. "Let's..."

"Meet at the diner around 8 to talk about the case?" she finished.

"Wow," he laughed. "I think we've been partners too long. You read my mind!"

"I'll see you there," she said, hanging up on him before he could say more. Her heart started to race again. No one would believe her. They'd all say she was insane and ship her to the nearest psych ward. She would just wake up again here, though, which would be the ironic part. She felt a little more sympathy for Bill Murray's character in Groundhog's Day now. This was annoying as hell. She hurried to get dressed, skipped her run, and met Booth at the diner as planned.

"Hey," he smiled. She went over to him and grabbed his face, examining him intently. He yanked back, staring at her.

"Have you lost your mind?" he asked, rubbing his cheeks. "That hurt."

"Sorry," she said. He was definitely real. All of this was real.

"I got you some breakfast," he said, sliding the plate over to her. "Anyway, I just can't get over the whole open mic night thing. I mean, I get it when you're in college you think you're going places, but these guys are over their 30s...do they really think they're gonna reach fame?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Brennan cut him off. He stared at her.

"But, it's a case. You always want to talk about a case," he said quizzically.

"I have a really good hunch about what killed Tommy," she said hurriedly.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I think that his neighbor got sick of hearing him sing and accidentally decapitated Tommy with the wire he uses for his clay projects."

"That's one hell of a leap, Bones," Booth said.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," she lied.

"You called it a hunch. That's my department, not yours," he said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Just...check into it, okay?" she asked. His phone rang then.

"Booth."

Brennan had to stop him from seeing Pam. When he hung up and told her he had to go to his office, she grabbed his arm.

"Ow, Bones! Why are you so grabby today?" he asked.

"Don't go see her," Brennan said strongly.

"Why not? She said she has information."

"No, she doesn't. She's going to give you a gift. She's stalking you, Booth," Brennan said. He laughed.

"You're as bad as Sweets," he said, removing her hand. "I'll see you later."

"No, Booth!" she called, but he ignored her. She paid for her meal and took off after him, but he was already gone. She had no idea what to do, so she went to her office.

...

Knowing what Sweets was going to say, she pulled up the MySpace account before Sweets even got there. When he came in all excited, she showed him that Tommy was doing a CD and that some guy was glaring at him for singing to a woman.

"Wow," Sweets said, dropping to his chair. "Kinda makes me feel like I wasn't even needed."

"Sorry," she apologized. She wasn't sorry at all. She was waiting for Booth, who came a little later than usual. He gave her a funny look when he appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, so check this out," Sweets started.

"Get out," Booth ordered.

"Wait, what?"

"Out. I need to talk to Bones."

"Fine," Sweets huffed. "Just trying to help solve a murder here!" He left, muttering under his breath. Brennan held hers as Booth waited for Sweets to be gone before talking.

"How did you know?" Booth asked.

"Know what?" she played.

"That Pam would give me something?"

"Sweets said she does that. It was a lucky guess."

"You were very adamant I don't meet her," Booth went on. "Why?"

"I don't trust her," Brennan answered.

"Okay, so moving on to who killed Tommy," Booth started. "I went back to the neighbor, and he confessed the whole thing. I found the wire and everything. Bones, how the hell did you know that?"

"I told you, I was thinking about it all night."

"What's going on?" he pressed. "You can talk to me, Bones."

"I...I'm scared, Booth," she confessed. She had to tell someone. Perhaps Booth could help her figure out what was happening to her.

"About what?" he asked, concerned. He moved closer to her. She fought back the emotion she was feeling.

"I think...I think I was killed, and somehow I am living the same day I died over and over again," she whispered. He didn't say anything for a moment, but she saw he was thinking hard on it.

"What gives you that impression?" he asked. Inside, he was freaking out, but he wanted her to talk more, so every instinct told him to play it cool.

"I knew who killed Tommy. I knew you'd call me for breakfast this morning. I knew that Pam was going to give you something," she said.

"What did she give me?" he asked. It was the ultimate test. He hadn't told her, but if she knew, then something was definitely going on.

"Socks," Brennan whispered. Booth sucked in a breath hard.

"I need to sit down," he said, feeling dizzy. He sat on her couch, and she joined him, scooting close to him.

"I don't understand it, Booth. I don't know what's going on, but...I'm stuck," she said. "This is the second time I've lived this day. I don't know why, and I don't know how to make it stop."

"Who else have you told?" Booth asked, suddenly worried.

"Just you," she answered.

"Okay, good. Keep it that way," he said. "I'll look into it."

"How?"

"I...I don't know, but just don't panic okay?"

"I died at the open mic night," she said quickly. "Pam shot me."

"Pam?!" Booth exclaimed.

"Yes. She killed me because she's obsessed with you. I was in the way of your relationship."

"Shit," Booth said, grabbing his head.

"I don't want to go singing tonight," she said fearfully. She didn't want to die again.

"Okay, okay," he said. "But, if it's true, then we are one move ahead of her. I'll get her before she shoots you."

"I really would just rather not," Brennan argued. Booth grabbed her arms then.

"I'll stop her, then we can sit down and figure out if it changed anything," he said. "I promise, I won't let her hurt you."

"Okay," she finally nodded. She couldn't believe he was actually believing her. On the other hand, she had some very compelling evidence, and she knew he knew she didn't lie.

...

"She'll be here at 9:43," Brennan said as Booth pushed her to the stage. "Please don't miss."

"I won't," he promised. She stood on very shaky legs as she tried to sing. She saw Booth watching the door, and sure enough, Pam entered right on schedule. Booth charged towards her with such force that Brennan stopped singing to watch as he grabbed the gun off of her and arrested her on the spot. He met her eyes across the room. It was over. She didn't die. She had never felt so relieved in her life.

...

It was past eleven, and Booth was still at her apartment. Brennan was terrified to sleep.

"What if I wake up and it still happens again?" she asked.

"Then tell me again," he urged. "You don't have to be alone."

"What if you don't believe me as quickly next time?"

"I will."

"Booth..."

"Bones, you gotta trust me. Tell me again, and I will believe you again."

"How do I end this?" she asked. He sighed roughly.

"I don't know. I did some googling, and nothing is coming up about reliving the same day over again."

"I don't know if I would believe you," Brennan said suddenly, looking at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"If you told me this was happening to you, I don't know if I'd believe it."

"Come on. You gave me so much information that was correct. There was no disputing it," he argued. Brennan could feel the pull of sleep tugging on her, but she didn't want to give in.

"I'll stay right here," he promised. "While you sleep. I won't go anywhere."

"Thanks," she said. She hugged him tightly then.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, surprised. He hugged her back. "It'll be all right, Bones."

"You've been an amazing partner and friend," she said into his ear. "I admire you for all the things you do. Please don't forget about me."

"Bones," he laughed. "This isn't the last time I'll see you. You can save the farewell speech." He pulled back then, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"You're right," she said, trying to sound confident. "This isn't goodbye." Everything was going to be just fine. She had a very good feeling about it.


	4. Day Three

**JeanneJam: As always, I greatly appreciate your continued support of my writing :)**

* * *

 _This is not the same as other days...this is something else..._

 **Day 3**

Brennan opened her eyes, and she knew without looking that Booth was gone. Her alarm went off, and she wasn't at all surprised to see that it was May 13, 2008. She screamed and hurled her alarm clock across the room, shattering it off the wall. This was really happening. She was cursed. She decided right then and there that she was not going to go to work that day. The universe could just piss off. She ignored her phone ringing, already knowing that it was Booth, that he had no idea what was going on. She knew that he told her explicitly to tell him again, but what was the point? She was in this alone. Utterly and entirely alone.

...

"Come on, Bones!" Booth's voice shouted as he pounded on her door. Brennan looked up from her pillow, sleep caught in her eyes. Feeling hopeful suddenly, she checked the date. Nothing had changed. She swore, getting out of bed and going to the door. She yanked it back to show a startled Booth. He took in her appearance.

"Are you sick?" he asked, concerned.

"Yes," she lied.

"But...the case," he started.

"Zack is more than capable of solving it," Brennan said, turning to go back inside.

"Hold on," Booth said, grabbing the door. "Are you mad at me?"

"What? No," she answered.

"Are you sure? Did I say something yesterday to upset you?"

"Not at all," she shook her head. Quite the opposite actually, but he had no clue.

"So, you're not coming in to work," he said, still not believing it.

"No."

"Who are you, and what have you done to Temperance Brennan?" he asked, his tone indicating he was trying to joke.

"She died," Brennan answered sarcastically. He snorted.

"Well, I'll swing by later to check in on you," he said.

"That won't be necessary," she responded.

"You're my partner. I'm going to check in," he argued. When he was gone, Brennan stood there trying to understand what was happening to her. Was there something she was supposed to do? Someone to see? Some sort of unfinished business that the universe was giving her repeated attempts to do? She sat down on her couch, thinking. What was the purpose of this? Was there a purpose? She didn't know, but she did feel exhausted. This whole experience was draining to her. She didn't like it when things did not make logical sense to her. She wondered what Booth would do if this was happening to him. Would he tell her? She decided to just lay low today. She needed sleep and clarity.

...

As promised, Booth returned. He had a question about the case, though, claiming Zack was stumped.

"Zack is not stumped," Brennan said when he finished, crossing her arms. "You just made that an excuse so you could come see me."

"Maybe," he smirked. "I just don't get why you didn't want to work today."

"I don't feel well."

"That has never stopped you before," he pointed out.

"I don't actually know what is happening to me," she admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know! I just...I feel like I'm living the same day over and over again..."

"I feel that way sometimes," Booth shrugged. Brennan wanted to punch him in the face. He had no idea. His phone rang then.

"I have to take this," he said, looking at it.

"It's okay. Just go, Booth. I'm fine here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

No, she wasn't fine, but he didn't need to know that. She watched him leave, wishing she had been brave enough to tell him again today what was happening to her. She knew he would have put everything else on hold to be with her and comfort her. That's the kind of man he was.

...

Brennan hid under the covers, thinking about her life. Had she accomplished everything she wanted? Seen everything she wanted to see? She had one day to do it all. 24 hours. It didn't give her much time. She thought about her family then. She hadn't spoken to her father much since the trial, and her brother was busy with his new family. Perhaps spending time with them would help her move on from this time loop. Her phone rang, and she answered.

"Dr. Brennan," Zack's voice said. "I think I've figured it out."

"Clay wire?" she said.

"Um, I was thinking guitar string, but I can add yours to the equation."

"Do that," she urged.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Not a whole lot better, but some," she lied. No use in worrying him.

"It is strange here without you."

"I know, Zack," she sighed. They might as well start getting used to it.

...

The darkness fell, and Brennan started to feel agitated. She had accomplished nothing that day, nothing at all. She had simply watched another day fall away, and she was soon going to fall with it. Then, she got an idea. She grabbed her coat and rushed out, heading to find her best friend.

"Hey, where were you today?" Angela said, opening the door to find Brennan standing there.

"Let's go out," Brennan urged.

"W-what?"

"You've always wanted me to go out with you after work, so here I am."

"Okay, whoa, whoa. Booth said you weren't feeling well, but this is just weird."

"Please, Ange?" Brennan practically begged. Angela gave her a look of scrutiny, but she caved.

"I will take advantage of this new Brennan," she said. "Oh, by the way, Zack solved the murder."

"Excellent. I knew he would," Brennan nodded. Angela hailed them a cab, and they went to the nearest club that Angela favored.

"Booth wanted us to go to that open mic night, but this is waaay better!" Angela shouted over the noise. Brennan just nodded and smiled. She just wanted to spend time with her best friend. Perhaps this was what she was supposed to do before dying.

"Isn't this great!" Angela cried. She danced hard, spinning Brennan around every so often. Brennan started to laugh and enjoy herself. Then suddenly, hands clasped around hers, and she was spun around to face someone.

"Oh!" she cried, startled. Booth's face was right next to hers.

"So, playing hooky, huh?" he asked, teasing. "You're not so sick now."

"You caught me," she grinned. She was very glad to see him there for some reason. She looked for Angela, wondering how he knew where to find them when her friend gave her a mysterious smile and disappeared into the crowd.

"You're good at this!" Booth said loudly.

"It's motion. It's not hard," she answered. He put his left arm around her waist then with his right hand lifting hers up into the air, and he spun her around and around and around until they started laughing and getting dizzy. Booth had to hold her up so she wouldn't fall. She rested her head on his chest then, not wanting anything to end. She was so tired.

"SEELEY!"

What? No. She couldn't be here. How was she here?! Brennan whipped her head around. Booth tensed then, seeing Pam standing there with a gun in her hand.

"I'm doing this for us."

Booth stepped in front of Brennan then, and the bullet struck him hard in the chest. He fell into Brennan, and they both fell to the floor. Brennan didn't waste any time grabbing his gun and shooting Pam right between the eyes with it. Everyone was screaming now, but Brennan was focused on Booth.

"It's okay, you're gonna be okay," she kept saying. He nodded briefly, staring up at her. He didn't know that she was going to wake up tomorrow and none of this would have happened.

"Bones," he managed to say. She bent closer to his mouth to hear him.

"I'm here," she said. His hand gripped the back of her head, his breathing labored.

"I love you."

...

Brennan sat in the hospital feeling very numb. Booth loved her. She should have guessed it, really. They spent a lot of time together, and neither of them had been in serious relationships since they started being partners. A part of her knew that was really the reason she let Sully leave her behind. She couldn't leave Booth, didn't want to leave him. Perhaps this was why she was doing this day over and over again. She regretted not being able to say it back before he blacked out. It terrified her to say it, though. To her, loving someone meant they were going to leave her behind, but in this case, she was leaving him behind. She didn't know how to explain that to him. When she woke up again, she didn't know what she was going to do.

"Miss?" the doctor said, coming out. Brennan lifted her head.

"Yes?"

"I'm so sorry. We lost him."

Brennan didn't respond. She couldn't. The words were trapped in her throat. Now she knew how Booth felt when she died in his arms, completely helpless and utterly devastated.

...

She had never wanted sleep to come so fast in her life. She had left the hospital in a daze, and she just went straight home. She didn't want to see the reactions of everyone else when they found out. She wanted to go to sleep so she could bring him back again. She couldn't get his face and words out of her mind, though. The fact that he used his last words to tell her he loved her meant it was important to him. She pondered on her current situation. Was the whole reason of this to find out what was important to her? She felt her brain start to grow fuzzy with sleep, and she let go. Tomorrow was a new day.


	5. Day Four

**Thanks for the continued support!  
**

* * *

 _I'm so afraid to love you but more afraid to lose..._

 **Day 4**

Brennan opened her eyes as the alarm clock went off. She sat up, looking at the sun rising. She knew exactly what she wanted to do that day. She got up to get ready, and eventually, Booth called her.

"Hey, wanna meet at the diner at 8? I want to talk about case stuff."

"I'm not coming in today," Brennan replied. There was a stunned silence at the other end.

"W-what? Why not?"

"There's somewhere I have to be."

...

"Temperance?" Max said, seeing her at his doorstep. "What are you doing here? Wait, is Russ okay? Is something wrong?!"

"No, Dad," Brennan said, shaking her head. "I just...I wanted to spend the day with you."

"You did?" he asked, surprised. "That's...unusual."

"I've been doing some thinking the past few days," she said. They were the same damn day, but he didn't need to know that.

"About what?"

"About how we missed a lot of time together, and I thought it would be nice to do it now."

"Oh. Well, I'm not sure what to think," he laughed nervously.

"Just think of it as some father/daughter time," she said. Truthfully, she was avoiding seeing Booth. She didn't want to look at him knowing that he was in love with her and had no idea she knew. She was afraid of what she would say to him, or what he would get her to say about what was going on. Booth had that ability to wheedle things out of her, and today, she didn't want to face any of it. She also wanted to talk about her mother, and she wanted to make sure this wasn't the unfinished business the universe wanted her to do.

"You wanna come in or go somewhere?" he asked, cutting into her thoughts. She smiled.

"Let's go somewhere," she replied.

...

The ocean crashed against the shoreline, and Brennan and Max sat in the sand watching. Brennan remembered doing beach trips with her family when she was younger. This reminded her of them.

"Your mother was furious with me," Max started.

"For what?"

"For getting ourselves in the mess we were in, for having to run away from you and Russ to save you in the end. If I had a do-over, I'd take you with us."

"There was no way of knowing, Dad."

"I know. It's not like you get a chance to relive a day again," he chuckled. Brennan picked at her feet absently. He had absolutely no idea.

"Did you ever think about coming back?"

"Every single day," he answered quickly. "Knowing what I know now..."

"Don't do that," she cut in. "You didn't know Mom was going to die."

"There was that risk always," he argued. "I have a lot of regrets, Tempe..."

"So do I," she said softly. She put her hand over his then, and he gave her a rueful smile.

"Your mother loved both of you with the entire fiber of her being," Max said after a moment. "Don't ever forget that."

"I won't."

Brennan needed to hear that, to have this time with her father. Maybe it didn't make sense to someone else, but it made sense to her. They talked more about memories and good times, and Brennan mourned the loss of her childhood on top of the time she didn't get to have with her parents the last fifteen years. She felt her phone vibrate multiple times that afternoon, and she knew without looking that they would be from Booth. She would figure out what to do with him later. She needed to be brave to face him.

"I asked Russ to join us for dinner, is that okay?" Max asked after a while.

"That's perfectly fine," she smiled.

...

"You two could sure get up to no good sometimes," Max said. They were at a pizza place together, Max, Russ, and Brennan. Russ started to smirk at this.

"Remember when you took Mom's dolphin belt? She was whoppin' mad!" Russ snickered.

"You were the one who ratted me out," Brennan accused. Russ laughed harder.

"Russ used to steal my booze," Max commented, pointing his finger accusingly at his son.

"What? I did not," Russ denied.

"Oh please. You think I bought the whole, 'I have the flu' b.s. you handed me the next morning?"

"Yea, Russ. It was obvious even to me," Brennan smirked.

"Not to mention the fact you could have lit a fire with your breath standing in front of the gas stove," Max snorted.

"If you had just shared, I wouldn't have had to steal it," Russ said.

"You were underage!" Max replied. They bickered a little more before dropping it. Brennan looked at the two of them feeling sorrow suddenly.

"I wish we had done this more," Brennan lamented. Russ put his arm around her and gave her a small shake.

"We're here now, right? We can do this more now," he said. Brennan felt herself breaking inside.

"Yea," she lied. "We can."

"So are you and that Booth guy every going to get together?" Russ asked suddenly. Brennan froze.

"What?"

"He's smitten with you, Tempe. Are you blind?" Russ laughed. Max chuckled too. Brennan stared at both of them.

"He is, Temperance," Max agreed. "Has he not made a move yet?"

"He...he may have said something," Brennan said vaguely. She didn't want to give them details.

"You should go for it. He's a nice guy," Russ told her. "He has my approval anyway."

"He doesn't need your approval," Brennan started.

"He has mine too," Max nodded. "I always liked the guy. He could throw one hell of a punch."

"I haven't talked to him yet about how I feel," Brennan admitted.

"What's holding you back?" Russ asked.

"I...I guess..." Brennan faltered. Max took her hand in his then.

"He's not gonna leave you, Tempe. He's not either one of us, and if we could go back in time, we'd change what we did, right Russ?"

"Right," Russ nodded.

"Tempe, Booth is head over heels for you. Don't let it pass you by because you're afraid."

"But I am afraid," she whispered.

"Don't be. Just fall," Max said. "Fall in love. It'll be all right."

Brennan wiped at her eyes then. Her family had no idea what was happening to her. She could fall in love with Booth back, but she was dead. Or dying. Or whatever the hell this was. He'd only be heartbroken, and she didn't want to do that to him.

"I fell for Amy, and it was scary as hell, but I wouldn't trade it for anything," Russ piped in after a moment. "Just go for it, sis."

"There's no courage without fear," Max told her.

"I'll...I'll think about it," Brennan promised. Her mind was racing. She was pretty sure she knew what to expect when she got home that night.

...

Brennan approached her apartment to find Booth sitting on the floor in front of her door, just as she'd suspected.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Well, you just up and disappeared all day, so I got worried," he answered, getting to his feet.

"I spent the day with my Dad. I just had dinner with him and Russ."

"In the middle of a case? You never do that," Booth pointed out.

"I had some clarity this morning," she said.

"Are you sick or something? Is there something you're not telling me?" Booth asked, looking at her.

"No, no," she shook her head, hating that she was lying to him. "I just needed to do this today."

"Well, Zack solved it anyway. If you're not careful, he's gonna replace you," he smirked. Brennan felt sad inside knowing that this was what was going to happen eventually if this whole warp thing ever ended.

"Thanks for checking up on me, but I'm tired," she said, going inside. Booth followed.

"Something's not right here," Booth said. "Come on, tell me. I can take it. Do you not want to be partners anymore?"

"What? No," Brennan said, looking at him sharply. "That's not it at all."

"Then what's wrong?" he asked, coming closer.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said.

"Try me," he said seriously. They were standing barely a few feet apart now. Looking at him, she knew he could handle it, so she went full steam ahead.

"Yesterday, you told me you loved me right before you died," Brennan said.

"Wh-what? Bones, what are talking about?" Booth asked, alarmed. Whether or not it was because his secret was out or he thought she was crazy, she wasn't sure.

"Pam shot you trying to kill me. You said you loved me. Of course, my yesterdays and your yesterdays are different. I live the same day over and over again," she said. "I have to say goodbye to you all repeatedly. I never get to die. I never get to live. I'm stuck in some twisted version of life that I will never escape from."

"Whoa, just...slow down," Booth said, holding up his hand. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Pam gave you socks today," Brennan said.

"Well, yes. How did you...?"

"It was the artist who killed Tommy. Sweets was all over Tommy's MySpace page, and you found out the restaurant hosting mic night was doing a scam to make more people come. Then you went from the angry guitar player to Dr. Jason to the artist neighbor, who was the real killer."

"Okay, Angela or Cam could have told you this..." he started.

"No," she cut him off. "I've lived that day. That's the day I'm stuck on. This one."

"This is crazy," Booth said, gripping his head hard.

"I bet you anything that Pam is gonna come through that door and kill me," Brennan said calmly. Booth looked at her sharply then.

"What?"

"She's hell bent on getting me out of the way. She's following you. It's only so long before she finds you here."

"Okay, hang on. You said I told you I loved you after Pam shot _me_ ," he said, confused.

"Yes. That was a different version of today."

"My head hurts," Booth said, sitting down at the counter. "Are you sure you don't think it was just a dream?"

"Do you?" she pressed. He knew what she meant. She was referring to his profession of love and whether or not he did actually love her. He stared at her, wanting to say it but scared to. The idea of losing her because of it was too unbearable. Then, the click of a gun.

"I'm doing this for us."

Booth's face was unreadable as he turned to see Pam standing in the doorway, but the shock was in his eyes. Pam managed to shoot Brennan again, and Brennan knew that even though Booth didn't answer her question, he was going to say it, that he truly did indeed love her. There was something comforting in that despite the fact she was just shot and killed...again.


	6. Day Five

_Sometimes you don't say goodbye once...you say it over and over and over..._

 **Day 5**

Brennan woke up again on May 13, 2008. Since her father and brother weren't the key to getting out of this, she figured it could be spending time with her friends. She was going to go to work today. She found herself looking forward to Booth's voice when he called.

"I would love to join you at the diner at 8," she said, answering.

"Okay, that was super weird," he laughed.

"I just know you that well," she said, picking out her clothes quickly.

"All right then. See you at 8."

…

Brennan had let Booth go on about the case for a while. She wasn't really fully paying attention anyhow. She was busy looking at him, really seeing him. How had she missed it? Well, she didn't really miss it. There had been an inkling of suspicion for about six months, but she had tossed the idea away as being ridiculous. Now that she knew the truth, she was seeing Booth in a very different way. She definitely wanted to bring it up again somehow. She just didn't feel brave enough yet.

"What?" he asked, finally noticing that she was staring at him.

"Nothing," she answered, forcing herself to look at something else.

"You were staring. Is there something on my face?"

"Some jam," she lied. He wiped at his mouth.

"Better?"

"Yes," she nodded. His phone rang, and Brennan wanted to answer it and tell that horrible woman to go to hell. Then again, perhaps Pam would just simply relive today over and over again too. This whole thing was defying science, and Brennan hated that.

"I have to go. Pam wants to talk to me," he said, hanging up and sighing.

"I'll come too," Brennan said, knowing the answer.

"No, no. She doesn't want you there. She doesn't like you."

"Well, I don't like her either. Maybe some intimidation will make her stop bothering you."

"She said she has information about Tommy. I hardly call that bothering me."

"She's just manipulating, like Sweets said."

"Oho, so you're quoting Sweets now? That's new," Booth grinned. "I'll be fine. I'll see you at the lab." He threw down some bills onto the counter. Brennan sighed and got up to head to the lab.

...

She started with Hodgins. He seemed thrilled that she was taking the time to watch him work and ask questions. Brennan didn't realize just how much Hodgins enjoyed her attention. She wondered at her ability to be so oblivious of these things. They chatted about different things while he worked until it came around to Tommy's singing.

"I'm curious to try out that mic night stuff," Hodgins said. "I know my singing is terrible and all dogs want to trample me, but I do enjoy letting loose sometimes."

"That's...good," Brennan finished.

"You should have heard Zack yesterday. Bloody guy could sing opera. He's wasting his talent by being here with us."

"I like what I do," Zack interrupted. "Dr. Brennan, Dr. Sweets wants to see you."

"I'm busy," Brennan shook her head.

"It's been nice having you here visiting, but I do also like my space," Hodgins said.

"Oh. Okay."

Brennan left his workspace feeling confused. She found Sweets in her office. She put up with whatever he was going to say because she didn't want to solve the case yet. She still had to spend time with Angela, Cam, and Zack. Then, Booth returned, and Brennan went along with the skit until it came time to reveal the guitar string. She knew it was wrong, but she was still buying time.

...

"Okay, so we cut the cheese, what does that prove?" Booth asked. Cam snorted.

"That you just wanted to say 'cut the cheese?'" she countered. Brennan contained her smile. Booth didn't bother to hide his.

"Zack and Hodgins can demonstrate," Brennan said, gesturing. She kept sneaking peeks at Booth, and the majority of the time, he was already looking at her. She flushed.

"Come here," Hodgins said, flexing the invisible wire.

"Why do I always have to die?" Zack asked. Brennan flinched inside. She watched as Zack and Hodgins re-enacted the scene of Tommy's murder.

"Well, we go have a chat with the guitar man," Booth said, clapping his hands together.

"You go ahead. I have things to do here," Brennan told him. He deflated.

"But it's not fun interrogating without you there to make them feel stupid."

"Ha ha. You will be just fine," Brennan said. She hurried after Cam, who had already left for her office.

"Yes, Dr. Brennan?" Cam asked, seeing her behind her.

"I was wondering if we could get coffee," Brennan said. Cam stared.

"Seriously?"

"Well...yes. We don't spend time together much. I thought it would be nice."

"But the case...?"

"Booth's interrogating someone, and we seem to have found cause of death. A break doesn't hurt anyone."

Cam looked at her suspiciously.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yes! Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Brennan demanded. "I'm fine."

"Okay. Just checking. Where do you want to go?"

"The diner is fine."

They left together, Cam still appearing surprised and unsure of what to make of the whole thing. They got settled at a table and ordered coffee.

"So, how are you?" Brennan asked.

"Good," Cam nodded. "Not used to you caring, but I'm good."

"I'm trying something new," Brennan admitted. "I've noticed lately that I'm always wrapped up in a case and not paying attention to my teammates. That's why I've been spending extra time with everyone today."

"That's sweet of you," Cam noted. "Are you sure everything is okay?"

"I'm sure," Brennan nodded. Cam wouldn't understand. Hodgins would start going off about conspiracies, and Zack would spend hours finding scientific proof that this could happen. Angela would just freak out. Booth was the only one who took it seriously and didn't make her feel crazy about it. Cam smiled then, and they continued to talk about things they normally didn't talk about. Brennan enjoyed herself. Then, it was time to return to work.

...

"Booth has been looking for you like crazy," Angela said when Brennan entered her office.

"For what?"

"The guitar guy pointed out Dr. Jason as the prime suspect. Booth wanted you to sit in."

"Oh. I told him I wasn't doing that today."

"He knows. He thinks he can wear you down."

"He is persistent," Brennan chuckled.

"What's going on with you today?" Angela asked. "You're normally out there with him catching the bad guy, not staying in here with us."

"I just felt like spending time with you all."

"Are you dying or something?" Angela pressed.

 _You have no idea_ , Brennan thought.

"No," she replied out loud.

"Hmm. Something's up though," Angela said, scrutinizing her friend carefully. Brennan had to give her something, so she gave up the precious information she had been saving.

"Booth's in love with me," she blurted out. Angela's eyes popped so wide they almost fell out.

"What?!"

"Yes."

"He told you?!"

"Well...no."

"Then...how do you know?"

"I've gathered the evidence, Ange. It's right there in front of me."

"That's why you're staying here," Angela said, getting it. "You're afraid to be alone with him. But why are you afraid? Unless.." She gasped, staring.

"Are you in love with him too?!"

"I...I might be," Brennan admitted. It felt so good to talk about this with someone finally.

"Oh my God!"

"Shhh! Angela, don't tell anyone," Brennan ordered.

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Maybe tomorrow," Brennan answered. She knew she couldn't do it today. On her next time loop, she'd tell him. She was starting to think that was her unfinished business now. If she was going to tell him, she was going to do it right.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," Angela was chanting, flinging her hands excitedly.

"Calm yourself," Brennan ordered.

"Go find him! Go be with him! Don't stay here with us," Angela said, wrinkling her nose.

"Hey, Dr. B," Hodgins interrupted. "You're going to find this really interesting."

...

The case had been solved, and Brennan was packing up when she spotted Zack. She felt her stomach drop. She'd forgotten to spend extra time with him today. She watched as he put away his things and got ready to leave. No matter. She'd catch him outside, and they could walk together for a while. She turned off her lamp and hurried after him. She watched as he looked around carefully before stepping outside. She paused, unsure of what he was up to. She trailed him for a couple of blocks until he stopped. She hid behind a phone booth, watching. A black car pulled up, and Zack got into the backseat. Brennan watched them drive away, and her gut felt off. Something was not right here. She hailed a cab and followed behind carefully. She saw them pull up to some old house, and Zack came out blindfolded with a man leading him to the house and inside. Brennan felt her skin prickle. What was Zack up to? What was going on here? Her phone rang, making her jump a mile high and yelp. The cab driver started to laugh.

"Brennan," she said, glaring at him.

"Where are you?" Booth asked.

"I'm..." Where was she? She looked around. Should she even tell him?

"Bones?"

"Where are you? I'll join you," she said hurriedly.

"I'm heading to open mic night. I wanted you to come too."

"Give me half an hour," Brennan said. Her watch said 8:57. Enough time to investigate this and then get shot later by Pam. She got out of the cab and crept towards the house. Something about this place made her feel sick inside. She found a small door by the side and pushed it open. She was a little surprised when it gave way. She went down the stairs and found herself in some kind of dining hall. Candles were everywhere, and there was meat cooking. She felt her stomach recoil. The smell was of human flesh.

"Dr. Brennan?!" Zack's voice asked, stunned. She whipped her head to see him standing there, but before she could open her mouth, a knife came from nowhere and struck her in the heart. She collapsed, feeling the life drain away from her. Zack was above her suddenly, crying.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry..."

 _Oh, Zack_ , she thought. _What have you done?_


	7. Day Six

_Even though the sky is falling down, don't let me go..._

 **Day 6**

Brennan gasped as she woke up. Things were a little fuzzy until it all came crashing back. Zack was in cahoots with Gormogon. She'd been stabbed by the bastard. Zack was sorry. She had to tell Booth. No, she had to confront Zack first. Her mind was whirling as she leapt out of bed and threw clothes on. She couldn't understand why Zack was doing this, why he was involved. What was the benefit? She wasn't sure, but she also didn't want to leave this for another day in case she didn't come back.

...

She found Zack in his part of the lab by himself. She made sure no one else was around.

"Oh, good morning, Dr. Brennan," Zack said, startled. "I didn't see you there."

"I didn't see it either," she said. He frowned.

"What are you referring to?"

"The fact that you're working with Gormogon," she answered. He paled visibly.

"I...I...I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Give it up, Zack. I know."

"How?!"

"That's irrelevant. It's true, isn't it? You're helping him!"

"N-n-no, not really," he stuttered.

"You're lying," she snapped.

"What's going on in here?" Cam asked, coming to join them.

"I really need you to leave," Brennan said to her sharply. Zack was standing there frozen, eyes popping.

"Dr. Brennan? Are you sure?" Cam asked. "Discipline is usually left up to the boss, which is me."

"This is personal," Brennan answered fiercely.

"O-okay," Cam said, backing away. She looked concerned, but she left.

"Dr. Brennan, I can explain..."

"How, Zack? How can you explain? The man is a murderer. A sick one at that."

"His logic makes sense to me..."

"His logic is faulty. Zack, look at it properly," Brennan urged. He bowed his head.

"I know you're right, but he will kill me if I don't assist him."

"With what?"

"He wants the skeleton."

"Of course. What else?"

"Bringing you the pieces of the lobbyist," Zack whispered.

"Did you kill him?!" Brennan asked, horrified. "Did you...were you..." She wanted to ask if he was participating in the cannibalism, but she couldn't bring herself to finish the question.

"I didn't kill him, but I may as well have," Zack said. "I told him where to find him. And no, I haven't eaten anyone."

"I find myself very relieved about that part, but I'm really disappointed with you, Zack," Brennan said.

"What are you going to do?"

"I obviously have to report you, Zack. And you're going to tell us where he is."

"I can do that," Zack nodded. "I really don't want to be a part of this anymore. I was making his logic make sense to rationalize why I was staying."

"Booth might be able to help you, but you're still in trouble," Brennan warned. Zack began to cry.

"I c-c-can't do jail, Dr. Brennan."

"We don't know what your consequences are going to be yet, Zack."

Brennan left him then, knowing he wouldn't run. She also knew she could just get him again tomorrow if he did.

...

"There you are," Booth said when she entered his office. "Sweets is going on about some guitar guy, and I got thinking about the guitar string..."

"It's a wire used for clay," Brennan interrupted. "The neighbor did it."

"Wha-how did you do that?" he demanded.

"I'm smart, Booth, remember?"

"Okay, rub it in why don't you?"

"I have to talk to you about something else."

"What's that?"

Brennan closed the door behind her and sat across from him.

"Zack's involved with Gormogon."

The silence was so deafening, and Booth didn't even react save for staring at her that Brennan thought for a moment that perhaps he didn't hear her.

"I said..."

"I heard you," he cut her off. "How did you...? Why would he...?"

"I feel it was manipulation and then threat of death," Brennan answered. "He knows where Gormogon is. We can get him."

"Holy shit," Booth breathed. "Okay. Let's go get him."

"And Zack?"

"Well, he's gotta face the heat, doesn't he?"

"Yes, but try to make him a deal. I don't know how willing he was to help Gormogon."

"I'll do my best, Bones, but aiding a murderer is still aiding a murderer," Booth explained. She hung her head.

"I know."

...

Everyone at the lab was shocked when Booth arrested Zack and took him away. Shortly after, he and his team found the Gormogon and killed him on the spot after he threw his knife at an agent. Brennan was anxiously waiting to hear what was going to happen to Zack when Booth arrived at her apartment.

"Is he going to jail?" she asked immediately.

"The DA worked a deal with him. He explained what happened. He's getting three years of probation. I am really glad that creep is dead."

"Me too."

"Wanna go out and celebrate?"

"I'm not really feeling up to it," Brennan answered.

"Me either," Booth admitted. "I can't believe he got Zack involved."

"He was vulnerable after Iraq. It could have happened to anyone."

"But he's so damn smart!"

"I know, but even the best of us don't think rationally all the time," she replied, looking at him. Here was her chance. She could tell him, but it didn't feel right. She'd use her next day wisely. She would do it all.

"Wanna get something to eat?" Booth asked. Brennan nodded. She knew Pam would find them and kill her, but she'd enjoy her time with him first.

...

They were walking down the street after dinner, talking. Brennan looped her arm through his at one point, and he smiled at her.

"You seem different today," he noted.

"I'm just tired."

"You don't usually touch me."

"I'm sorry. I can stop."

"No, no. I don't mind," he said, placing his hand on hers to stop her from pulling away. They kept walking.

"What would you do if you kept living the same day over again?" she asked suddenly. He laughed.

"That would never happen," he scoffed.

"Pretend it did," she urged. "What would you do?"

He looked thoughtful for a while before answering.

"I guess I would spend a day with my son."

"Uh huh."

"I would spend time with all of you. Go see my Pops. Tell people..." he stopped short.

"Tell people what?" she asked.

"How I felt about them," he answered, looking at her suddenly. She felt her heart begin to pound. This was her opening.

"SEELEY!"

No. Not now. She wasn't ready. Booth whipped around, and Brennan turned as well.

"I'm doing this for us."

 _That bitch is next_ , Brennan thought as she fell to the ground. She had a busy day ahead of her.

* * *

 **I don't really know the legal piece surrounding Zack's deal because he was threatened with death if he didn't cooperate and helped them find Gormogon etc., so I left it at probation. It's fanfiction after all lol. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Day Seven

_I'll stay here with you until this dream is gone..._

 **Day 7**

Brennan quickly got out of bed. She had to take care of the case before she could whisk Booth away for the day. She also was going to take care of Pam Nunan too. Zack would have to wait for when they got back. She hadn't forgotten about him.

"Hello, yes, I'm calling to deliver an anonymous tip," Brennan said into the phone. She was on with the organization who took anonymous tips and passed them on to the police.

"Go ahead," the voice said on the other line.

"Yes, I saw..." Brennan started. She told him all about the neighbor and the wire, how he killed Tommy. She knew Booth would be pissed that the police got credit for this, but she needed him to have time available. Then, she made another phone call. Afterwards, she began to plan her day. Her phone rang an hour later.

"You are never going to believe this," Booth said as soon as she answered.

"What?"

"The freaking police solved the murder!"

"What?!" she exclaimed, faking outrage.

"Yes! Some anonymous tipper said they saw the neighbor kill Tommy. The guy sang like a bloody bird when they picked him up. Can you believe that?!"

"I feel very annoyed right now," Brennan lied. Inside she was thrilled. So far, things were working.

"That really burns me," Booth growled.

"Let's go do something to take our minds off of it," she suggested.

"I'm too pissed."

"Oh come on," she wheedled. "Let's just go."

"You don't seem as mad as me that our case got stolen from us," Booth noted.

"I've already let it go," she said.

"Are you all right?"

"I have never been better. Come on, Booth. Let's meet up at the diner and go from there."

"Fine, but I can't promise I'll be in a good mood."

"Oh, I think that will change," Brennan said, smiling into the phone.

...

"All right, I'm here," Booth said, finding her at the diner. He stood beside her at the counter. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," she said, moving off the stool and heading to the door.

"Seriously?" he asked. He had been right. He was in a foul mood. Brennan was going to have to work hard to change that.

"Yes. That means I'm driving."

"But..." Booth started.

"My car or yours?"

"Mine."

"Fine, but I'm still driving."

"Urgh, fine," he grumbled, handing over the keys. She grinned, knowing how much handing over his keys bothered him.

...

"What is this?" Booth asked, looking at the cottage suspiciously. "Is there a dead body in there? Cos I could have driven for that."

"I borrowed it for the day," she replied, getting out. Booth sat there stunned for a moment before getting out to join her.

"You borrowed it?" he repeated.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"We spend a lot of time with death, Booth. I wanted us to live a little," she shrugged.

"Okay, what's going on with you? Are you still Temperance Brennan?" he asked, catching her. "Helloooo!"

"Ow, don't shout in my ear," she winced, pulling away.

"You never do this," he said, gesturing.

"I know," she said softly. "And I really want that to change." She grabbed her bag from the back and headed up to the cottage. Booth stood there gaping after her. He looked around at the small lake past the cottage and at the rock walls with shrubs. It felt a little bit like a postcard. In fact, he was certain he'd seen a postcard with this exact scene on it. He hurried after her.

"How did you find this place?" he asked.

"It's a friend's," she dismissed.

"You wanna tell me why all of a sudden we are here doing this? What are we doing exactly?" he asked, looking around.

"Whatever we want," Brennan replied. She set her bag down and tossed him a look over her shoulder.

"Like what?"

"You're making this way too complicated," she sighed.

"I'm really confused," he said as she walked to the fridge and put some water in it.

"It's a day off, Booth. What's to be confused about?"

"I'm stuck on the why."

"I told you why."

"It's not enough."

"I also brought beer," Brennan said, putting it in the fridge. "Let's sit outside." She went out to the deck that overlooked the lake and sat on one of the chairs. Booth walked slowly out to join her.

"This is really nice," she commented. It was a warm day at least. The sun came and went with the clouds.

"Yea," he agreed. He sat down in the chair next to hers, and he stared at the water. As odd as everything seemed, he started to feel relaxed. It was still only 11 in the morning too. He looked over at Brennan to see her head rested against the back of the chair, a small smile on her lips.

"So what's really going on?" he pressed. She turned her head to face him.

"Does there have to be something going on?"

"To make this make sense, yes."

Brennan got up then, walking to the railing and leaning on it. Her heart was racing. It was now or never. She had the advantage of knowing how he felt about her, which eased the fear of being rejected, but she still felt afraid. She had never told a man she loved them before.

"Hey, Bones," Booth said, coming up beside her. "You okay?"

"What would you do if you were stuck living the same day over again?"

"That would never happen," he snorted.

"I'm serious," she said, looking at him intently. "What would you do?" If he gave his answer like last time, that was her in.

"I guess I would spend a day with my son."

"Mmhmm."

"I would spend time with all of you. Go see my Pops. Tell people..." he stopped short.

"Tell people what?" she asked.

"How I felt about them," he answered, looking at her suddenly. She felt really nervous suddenly.

"Who would you tell?" she prompted. He suddenly looked nervous too, and he looked away from her. She could tell his brain was going a million miles an hour.

"What would you do?" he asked, putting it back on her.

"Answer the question, Booth," she said.

"I will after you tell me what you would do," he countered. She groaned inwardly.

"I would spend time with my father and brother. I would take time with my friends at the lab and you. I'd solve whatever case we were in the middle of."

"I see," he said. She knew that wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"I'd also probably tell people how I felt about them," she said quietly. He snapped his head back, staring at her. "But I'd be worried about how they would take it since it would seem like it was out of the ordinary."

"I think they'd be all right with it," Booth said hoarsely.

"You first," she said softly. "Who would you tell?"

"Bones, I...I don't know if this is a good idea."

"What isn't?"

"Telling you who I'd tell."

"Why? Maybe they want to hear it," she said, wanting him to get the hint. He swallowed hard. She moved closer to him then, stopping inches away from him.

"What are you doing?" he whispered.

"Helping you," she whispered back. She fell into him then, resting her lips against his. He inhaled sharply, but he didn't pull away. She brought her hand up to cup his face, and he slid one up her back, pulling her in closer. She was completely blown away by this kiss. It was nothing like their Christmas one that Caroline had made them do. Booth pulled away after a moment, searching her face.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" he asked.

"I'm trying to get you to tell me something," she answered, eyes twinkling.

"No," he shook his head. "It's gotta be you." She toyed with his collar, thinking. He did have a point. He had said it first after all. He just didn't remember that part.

"I've never felt this way," she started, smoothing his shirt with her hands. "Not that I can remember at least. I've never said it to anyone before. It...it absolutely terrifies me, but I find myself in a position where it needs to be said, so here it is."

She looked up at him, gripping the sides of his shirt tightly. He never broke eye contact with her.

"I am in love with you."

He crashed into her, kissing her ferociously while conveying how much her words meant to him. Brennan felt herself getting lost in him when he stopped.

"You have no idea how badly I've wanted you to say that to me," he said, his forehead against hers.

"I didn't realize how much I wanted to tell you until recently," she said truthfully.

"Why now? What made you decide to?"

"I'll explain in a moment. First, do you feel the same about me?"

"Oh God, Bones. Yes! I'm so crazy, head over heels, in love with you. I didn't know if I should ever tell you for fear it would ruin our partnership."

"I'm glad," she whispered, trying not to cry. If this was her last day, then he'd be going forward alone. She really hated to think about it.

"Are you going to share why you decided to tell me now?" he asked, tucking her hair behind her ear. She hesitated. It was a risk that he'd believe her every time, but so far, he'd proven himself that he could handle it.

"I've told you twice before already, and both times you believed me instantly."

"Told me what?" he asked, laughing a little.

"Booth, I'm stuck living the same day over and over again."

His face was shocked, and his hand was frozen on her cheek.

"What?"

"I called in the tip today. I knew who murdered Tommy because I've done it so many times now."

"Oh...oh wow," he said, taking a step back. Brennan felt scared then. Had she ruined this day? He put a hand over his mouth, turning away and then back to her.

"Booth?"

"I believed you the last two times?"

"Yes. I had more proof of course, but I had to stop her from killing me," Brennan said.

"Who?"

"Pam Nunan. She's the one who killed me and got me trapped in this phenomenon. She's stalking you, Booth, and she would have given you a pair of socks if you had seen her today instead of coming here with me."

"Okay, slow down," he said, holding up his hand. "Pam kills you?"

"Yes."

"Because she's after me?"

"Yes."

"Where is she now?" he asked, concerned.

"I had her arrested. I told them her house was full of photos of you, and the last I heard was they took her in. I think they'll be sending her to a psychiatric ward possibly to look into treating her delusions. I doubt she will be released."

"You've really thought this day out," Booth said, looking at her.

"That's not all," Brennan continued. "On one of these days, you were killed by Pam. That's when you told me you loved me."

"I...I told you that?" he asked. He was surprised.

"Yes. It got me thinking about it, and I realized that I love you too. I don't know if this is my last day because I figured it out, but I don't want to waste it. I want to spend it with you."

Booth looked at her sadly.

"You've been doing this alone for how long?" he asked softly.

"This is day seven," she admitted.

"Oh, Bones. I'm so sorry..."

"It's fine. I...I've been managing."

"You must be terrified."

"The uncertainty of my future does scare me, but I have you," she said, taking a step forward. "If this is my last day, then I want it to end with you."

"So those things you said you'd do earlier," Booth said, thinking. "You did them?"

"Yes. But this is my first time telling you I love you."

He nodded then. It was a lot to take in, but for some reason, he believed her. He believed it all. She was so earnest, and he knew she would not lie about something like this. He knew her better than that. He saw her hugging herself, and he knew she must be thinking he didn't believe her.

"I'm here," he said, reaching for her and pulling her into his arms. "I won't let you go."

...

The rest of the day was a blur for Brennan. They had gone for a walk and spent a lot of time talking. Then eventually the kissing turned into something else. They tumbled around the cottage to the bedroom, Booth finally picking her up into his arms and taking her there, and Brennan found herself under the sheets desperately hanging onto the moment she knew she might not ever get to have again.

"Tell me again," Booth said after when they were holding each other.

"Tell you what?" she asked, curling into him.

"If you come back again for another day, tell me."

"You've said that before," she smiled. "The first time."

"And the second time?"

"You didn't get a chance to. Pam got to us."

"Well, I mean it. Tell me. I will believe you every time."

"I know."

Brennan held him to her as close as it was physically possible. She didn't want to let go. She didn't want this day to end. Unfortunately, there was one thing left she had to do.

"Booth?"

"Hm?"

"We have to go back," she said.

"What? Why?"

"There's something else that happened," she started. "I don't want to forget to tell you if this is it."

"What happened?"

"It's easier if I show you," she said.

"I really don't want to leave," he told her.

"I don't either, but this is important. If you still feel up to it after, we can spend the night at my place."

"This sounds pretty serious, Bones."

"It is," she nodded.

...

She let him drive back. She looked out the window for most of the trip. The time now said 8:37 pm, and she knew she was running out of time. It didn't seem to end right at 9:43, though, which was good. It ended after she fell asleep, and she was feeling really tired.

"Where to?" he asked, breaking into her thoughts. Brennan knew exactly where to find Zack. She gave him the directions.

"Have your gun ready," she warned.

"What are we walking into, Bones?" he asked, nervous. They pulled up in front of the house. She turned to look at him.

"This is Gormogon's house."

"W-what?! Holy shit, Bones, why didn't you say so?! I would have brought back up with me."

"He's in there alone. He's really fast with his knife, though," she said, touching her chest absently. Booth noticed.

"He killed you?!"

"Yes."

"That's it," he said, getting out. "This asshole is really starting to piss me off."

Brennan got out and hurried after him as he marched towards the house, gun drawn.

"Stay behind me," he ordered. He crept to the door.

"Wait," she said, holding him back. "It was 8:57 when he killed me. He wasn't at the table yet."

"Where was he?"

"I...I'm not sure. It kind of came from nowhere."

"He was...going to eat?" Booth asked, feeling sick suddenly.

"Yes. It was definitely human flesh I smelled."

"Oh God," Booth gagged. He forced himself to shake it off. "Where is the table?"

"Dead center of the room."

"Okay. Let me know when to go in."

Brennan waited until 9 before signaling him to go in. Booth went through the door carefully and quietly. Brennan pointed the way, and he poked his gun through the door first. As Brennan had hoped, the monster was sitting at his table.

"FBI freeze!" Booth shouted. The man shot up, spinning.

"Booth!" Brennan shrieked. Booth was one step ahead, though. He fired, shooting Gormogon right between the eyes.

"Dr. Brennan?" Zack's voice said timidly. Booth swung around, but Brennan grabbed his hands.

"Don't," she said.

"What the hell is this?!" Booth exclaimed, seeing Zack. He looked at Brennan, finally comprehending. Her eyes were very sad.

"How did you find me?" Zack asked.

"You knew," Booth said to her, ignoring Zack.

"I did. I already had him turn himself in after I died from the knife wound. He was manipulated into this, Booth. He was rationalizing the Gormogon's logic to have it make sense because his life was threatened. Zack didn't hurt or eat anybody. The only thing he did was tell Gormogon where the lobbyist was."

"How do you know all this?" Zack asked, frightened now. "What do you mean you died by a knife wound?"

"It doesn't matter," Booth shook his head. "Come on. We have to go have a talk."

...

Brennan waited for Booth to come to her apartment. She couldn't help but feel a sense of finality this time, and it scared her. He looked somber when he arrived.

"How did it go?"

"We cut a deal, so he's facing three years of probation."

"He was afraid of jail."

"I can't believe this, Bones," Booth said, rubbing his face hard.

"I can't either, but it's happened."

"This is the second time you've turned him in? That must be so hard."

"It has been, but I've had you both times."

"I'm sorry Gormogoop killed you."

"I shouldn't have been so foolish as to go there without you in the first place let alone into a house with no idea as to where he was," Brennan sighed, ignoring his goof up of the name this time.

"So, now what?" he asked after a moment. She looked at him.

"Whatever you like," she answered. "I...I fear this is my last night."

"Oh, Bones," Booth said sadly. "Really?"

"It just feels...final. I can't explain it."

"This is worse than seeing someone die in a hospital bed," Booth said. "You're so...alive."

"I know."

"Can I change it somehow? Can I make you stay?"

"I don't know," Brennan answered truthfully. "I have no idea how it works."

"I'm really gonna miss you, Bones," Booth said, holding her close.

"Let's not be sad," she told him. "Let's enjoy what we have left. Okay?"

"Okay," he agreed. Inside he was dying, but he'd give her this last request. He'd do anything for her. She led him to her bedroom and proceeded to show him just how much she loved him. Booth did his best to convey it back. When it was over, Brennan fought the fatigue as best as she could, but it was overcoming her.

"I love you," she whispered to him.

"I love you too," he replied.

"Don't be sad," she murmured. He tightened his grip, but he didn't respond. She felt herself falling then. Sleep took over. It seemed much darker this time.


	9. The Ending

_I know that you're scared, but I swear you'll be all right..._

 **The Ending**

Brennan opened her eyes, and immediately something was different. Everything was white, and she felt disoriented. Had it finally happened? Had she moved on from Earth? She struggled to lift her head, but it felt like a thousand pounds. She gave up easily. She turned it instead, taking in her surroundings. Wherever she was, there were curtains and sunshine. She could even hear street noises.

"Hello there," a voice said. Brennan tensed, looking towards the direction of the sound. She saw an African American man dressed all in white looking back at her. He appeared to be in his early seventies, and his eyes were very kind. His face was covered in freckles.

"Who are you?" she croaked. Her mouth and throat were very dry.

"That's not important," he dismissed. "What's important is, do you know what to do now?"

"I don't understand."

"I gave you an incredible opportunity to learn what was meaningful to you and do things differently with your time. I have to admit, you're pretty smart. You caught on much faster. I think seven days is a new record honestly."

"I'm confused," Brennan said.

"Let me help you out," he said, coming closer. "You died. You were shot by an obsessed woman. You lived the same day over and over again until you figured out what you had to do to stop it. Now, you're here."

"Where is here?" Brennan asked. She felt very scared suddenly.

"Why, the D.C. hospital of course," the man winked.

"What? But...I died."

"Technically, you did for about two minutes, but they brought you back."

"So...this whole thing...it wasn't real?"

"It was to you," he pointed out. "Right?" Brennan thought hard about it, and she realized he was indeed right.

"So, now what?" she asked.

"Your partner is going to walk through that door for the thousandth time to check and see if you're awake, and I will be gone."

"That's it? It's really over?" Brennan asked, forcing herself to sit up a little.

"The date is May 14, 2008," the man smiled. "So yes, it's over." In a blink, he was gone, and the door opened to reveal Booth's worried face.

"Bones!" he cried, rushing over. "You're awake! Thank God. They said there was complications with the surgery, and you weren't waking up."

"But I did wake up," Brennan said. She felt slightly annoyed that the whole thing had indeed been just a damn dream. A coma? Or perhaps it was some form of reality that she would never understand. Whatever it was, she never wanted to do it again.

"Are you all right?" Booth asked. "I shot Pam right after. I can't believe she did that to you."

"It's okay. I'm okay."

"I really hope so," he said. He was worried. She wasn't giving any indication that she had heard him the night before. After she had been shot, Booth had cradled her in his arms repeating over and over that he loved her, pleading with her to stay.

"I had this really crazy dream," Brennan said. Booth sat on the bed then.

"Yea?"

"Yes. I lived yesterday over and over again seven times."

"Really?"

"Uh huh. It was frustrating, but I learned a lot."

"What did you learn?" he asked. She looked at him, taking his hand in hers.

"That you love me. That I love you. That we should make more time for life rather than always for death."

"You heard me," Booth said, smiling.

"In my dream, yes, you told me you loved me after Pam shot you."

"I told you in real life too, right after Pam shot you," he said. "I thought you could hear me."

"Maybe I did. Maybe my subconscious twisted it all up," Brennan said.

"So, you love me too?" he asked, a grin forming on his face.

"I do," she nodded. "It's not something I've ever said to a man before."

"I'm honored."

"I hope you're as good in real life as you were in the dream," Brennan went on, knowing it would peak his interest.

"Oh?" he said, on cue. "Good at what?"

"Bowling," she teased.

"Aw come on," he whined. "Tell me!"

"Is she awake?" Angela's voice asked, her head appearing in the door. She squealed when she saw Brennan, rushing over to the bed.

"Hi, Ange," Brennan smiled.

"I am so relieved. I thought you were gone for sure. I would not have survived without you," Angela said, hugging her gently. The door opened then, and Hodgins, Sweets, Cam, and Zack all came in to see her. Brennan felt her heart sink, knowing she had to confront Zack. Somehow, that piece of the whole thing still seemed real, and there was only one way to find out.

"Good to see you up," Sweets said, worry in his tone.

"Yea, we've been up all night," Hodgins said, gesturing to Zack. "Worried sick."

"Are you feeling okay?" Cam asked, concerned.

"I'm quite all right," Brennan answered. "It's sweet of you all to be so concerned."

"You're our friend, Dr. Brennan," Zack said. "We didn't want to lose you."

"I'm touched," Brennan said. The doctor arrived then, shooing everyone out except for Booth. A bomb would not remove him from her side.

"Everything looks great," the doctor said. "I believe you can go home this afternoon."

"Excellent!" Booth said, clapping his hands together. "I'll drive."

...

Booth got Brennan settled in her apartment. She was grateful for him, and she hoped he knew how much she appreciated him.

"Tucked in for the rest of the day," Booth said, joining her in the bed. "I'm not being too forward, am I?"

"Not at all. We've done more than just cuddle," she smirked.

"All right, you," he said, pulling her in. "Tell me."

"It started with this," she said, kissing him.

"Mmm," he groaned. "I like."

"Then this," she said, removing his shirt.

"I really like...but, do I do anything?"

"Oh yes," she answered. She whispered into his ear, making him shiver.

"Ohhhh Bones," he groaned again, proceeding to do what she'd told him. She felt his fingers pause right where the bullet had gone through her, centimeters from her heart.

"I'm sorry I didn't prevent this," he said quietly. She looked at him seriously.

"I'm not. If you hadn't, who knows how long it would have been before we got to this point in our relationship."

"I really like this version of you," he murmured, continuing. Brennan didn't reply. She was too busy being in the moment.

...

"There's something you need to know," Brennan said once they were lying side by side.

"What's that?"

"Zack is helping Gormogon."

"WHAT?!" Booth exploded, sitting up fast.

"It was part of my experience. He was manipulated and afraid for his life. He rationalized the logic behind Gormogon's theory to justify why he was staying. He's scared, Booth. He doesn't want to do this."

"Has he...?"

"No."

"Did he kill...?"

"No."

"Okay," Booth said, feeling his heart rate calm down a little. The idea of Zack eating humans was too sickening, so he was glad to hear it hadn't happened. "So, what do we do?"

"I'm going to confront him. Then you take it from there."

"All right," he agreed. "Wow. I did not see that coming."

"Neither did I, but I'm glad I prevented anything bad happening," Brennan said. "I would really like to do this now."

"Okay. Then you're back on bed rest. Got it?"

"Got it."

...

"Dr. Brennan, what are you doing here?" Zack asked, seeing Brennan at the lab in front of him. Booth was hovering in the background.

"Zack," Brennan said, moving forward. "I know."

"You know what?"

"What you're doing."

"With what?"

"You are helping Gormogon. He's manipulating you and threatening your life."

Zack stared at her, blown away.

"H-how did you...?"

"It doesn't matter," Brennan dismissed. "Is it true?" He hung his head.

"Yes."

"You need to help us stop him," Brennan said. Zack nodded vigorously.

"Of course. I've wanted to all along...I just didn't know how."

"Well, this is how," Brennan said.

"Am I going to jail?"

"Booth will handle that part," Brennan said, turning to look at him. Booth came in then, escorting Zack out of the lab and to his car. Brennan went back home while Booth took him to the FBI building, and they made him a deal. Gormogon was shot dead attempting to escape the FBI. It was finally over. Brennan was back in her bed as promised. She felt lighter somehow. Booth rejoined her after he was finished with Zack.

"Glad to see you're holding up your end of the deal," he teased.

"Come here," she ordered.

"I'm coming," he chuckled. He got in behind her, and she pulled his arm around her waist while she got comfortable. She was very tired.

"The best part of the dream was that I fell for you," she said sleepily.

"Not the sex part?"

"Well, that was just as good."

"I'm glad to hear my dream self is up to par," he joked.

"Don't let me go," she murmured.

"I won't, Bones," he promised. "I've got you. You're safe."

He felt her fall asleep in his arms, and he smiled. Everything was gonna be all right.

 **The End**

* * *

 **And that's that! Thank you all who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed! I hope it was a satisfactory ending. I am toying with the idea of writing this story once more but through Booth's eyes. Let me know what you think! ;) Until next time!**


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